Ask any bodybuilder over the age of 40 what motivated them to get into the game, and likelihood is high they’ll cite a magazine cover featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In those pre-internet days, shots of the Austrian Oak, whether posing or casual, were awe-inspiring. And, while there isn’t any doubt that those Swiss Alps-like biceps were impressive, it was Arnold’s massive chest that actually blew us away.
4 many years later, Arnold’s Seventies pec development still ranks amongst the most effective ever. In this text, we’ll discover exactly what Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chest workout looked like – the sets, reps, frequency, weights, and techniques that propelled Arnold to seven Mr Olympia titles.
Table of Contents:
- Arnold’s Chest/Back Superset Routine
- Arnold’s Upper Body Split
- Drilling Down on Arnold’s Chest Workout
- Postworkout Posing
- Arnold’s Keys Suggestions For a Big Chest
Arnold’s Chest/Back Superset Routine
Warm-Up Superset:
- Bench Press – 1 x 30-45 reps
- Wide Grip Behind the Neck Pull-Ups* – 1 x 15 reps
Superset #1:
- Bench Press – 5 x 20-6 reps
- Wide Grip Behind the Neck Pull-Ups* – 5 x 15-8 reps
Superset #2:
- Barbell Incline Press – 5 x 10-15 reps
- T Bar Row – 5 x 10-15 reps
Superset #3:
- Flat Bench Dumbbell Flye – 5 x 10-15 reps
- Wide Grip Barbell Row – 5 x 10-15 reps
Superset #4:
- Weighted Dip – 5 x 15 reps
- Close Grip Chin – 5 x 12 reps
Stiff Arm Pullover – 5 x 15-20
*We do not recommend doing behind the neck anything as a consequence of the increased likelihood of shoulder injury. As a substitute, keep on with regular wide-grip pull-ups.
If that appears like plenty of work, that is since it is; nine exercises for a complete of 45 working sets! And people sets are done with no rest during supersets and not more than 60 seconds between them.
Amazingly, Arnold and Franco got through all this in about an hour. Typically, this workout can be done between 10 and 11 am. Then, they’d return to the gym at around 6 pm for his or her second workout of the day – thighs, calves, and abs. So, at his peak, Arnold was training chest, back, and quads on the identical day!
Arnold’s Upper Body Split
Arnold’s favorite split was to mix chest and back. He believed that the muscles responded more favorably for those who did a pushing exercise, just like the bench press, immediately followed by a pushing exercise, reminiscent of pull-ups. Done in superset style, with no rest between exercises, this was a grueling option to train – however it produced remarkable results.
Supersetting chest and back allowed Arnold and his training partner, Franco Columbu, to maximise their gym time. It also gave them that incredible pump that Arnold famously claimed to be higher than sex!
Based on Arnold, training chest and back in superset fashion also produced greater definition and muscle separation. Here’s what he told Flex magazine in a 2011 interview, “One of the vital vital the reason why a chest-back superset program works so well is the proven fact that most chest exercises are pushing movements, while all back exercises are pulling exercises. The chest muscles are resting through the lats exercises and the lats are resting through the chest movement. While each muscle is alternately resting and dealing, it stays fully flushed and pumped up … when the chest and upper back are pumped concurrently, there may be an indescribable feeling of growth stimulation and massiveness.”
Drilling Down on Arnold’s Chest Workout
This text has a chest focus, so we’ll be passing over each superset’s back component. Just know that Arnold put as much intensity and energy into working the back as he did the pecs.
Warm Up: Barbell Bench Press + Wide Grip Pull-Up
The workout begins with a single set of flat bench presses with a lightweight weight, and wide-grip pull-up . On the bench, Arnold would load a single 45-pound plate on each end (135 kilos, including the bar) and pump out 30-45 quick reps. The thought is to get the blood pumping and each a part of the pectoral muscle engaged.
Superset #1: Barbell Bench Press + Wide Grip Pull-Up
Arnold’s first working set for the chest had him pile more weight on the bar for 15 reps. This was the primary of 5 sets, shuttling forwards and backwards with pull-ups. The standard rep scheme can be 15, 15, 12, 8, 6 reps. When it comes to weight lifted, Arnold would increase the poundage on each successive set to a maximum of between 330-350 lbs on the ultimate set of 6 reps.
Arnold and Franco would allow themselves only a minute’s rest between supersets or enough time for the opposite one to finish his set. During this rest period, Arnold would take deep breaths and flex his chest and back muscles.
Superset #2: Barbell Incline Press + T-Bar Row
After completing his first superset, Arnold would move to the incline bench. In the unique Gold’s Gym, the T-bar row saw right alongside, allowing for fast and furious supersets.
Based on Arnold, the incline bench press is the last word exercise for constructing the upper chest. He advocated going as heavy as possible on this exercise, even when it meant reducing the rep count. But he also cautioned ensuring that you have a good spotter who knows what he’s doing.
Arnold’s rep scheme on the incline bench press was 15, 12, 12, 10, 10.
Superset #3: Flat Bench DB Flye + Wide Grip Barbell Row
Arnold viewed dumbbell flyes as his secret weapon when it got here to shaping and defining his pectoral muscles. He was very particular about how he did the movement. Unlike how most bodybuilders do the dumbbell flye, Arnold focused on bringing his elbows down so far as possible in order that the dumbbells reach bench level. He would then return them back up in an ideal arc, stopping once they were a few foot apart. This was the purpose where the stress within the pecs was reducing.
Arnold described the movement as replicating ‘hugging a tree.’ He would perform 15, 12, 10, 10, and 10 reps on this exercise. The load would increase because the reps dropped, but Arnold would be certain that the dumbbells weren’t so heavy that he lost control of the movement at any time.
Superset #4: Weighted Dip + Close-Grip Chin
At this point of the workout, Arnold’s pecs can be on fire. But that did not stop him from heading to the dip station, strapping as much as 80 kilos to a dip belt and pumping out five sets of 15 reps on weighted dips. Here’s what the Austrian Oak told Flex magazine about how his body responded at this stage of the workout:
“By the point I get to the fifth set, the pecs and lats are totally engorged with blood. And I even have such a colossal pump that the muscles feel like they will burst through the skin!”
Stiff Arm Pull-over
Arnold’s final exercise on this marathon chest-back workout was the stiff arm pullover. The science of whether you possibly can expand your ribcage is dubious, but back within the day, most bodybuilders, including Arnold, believed that you would. The movement to do it was the stiff-arm pullover.
Even when his efforts on this exercise didn’t actually make his ribcage larger, they did work each the lats and the serratus, while also giving the chest a great stretch. Arnold’s preferred method was to lie across the bench, allowing his hips to sink low, enabling maximum thoracic stretch.
Arnold and Franco would go forwards and backwards with five sets of 15-20 reps to cap off the mammoth workout.
Postworkout Posing
Despite the fact that he just accomplished a marathon 45-set upper body pulverizing workout, Arnold wasn’t done yet. he’d spend 10-Quarter-hour in front of the posing mirror, flexing and posing his chest and back. In addition to prepping for the stage, this practice pushed much more oxygen-rich blood into the chest and back. Arnold was convinced that these iso-tension contractions contributed to the definition and hardness of his pectorals.
We have all marveled at the photographs of Arnold’s 57-inch pecs, providing ample evidence that his chest and back superset workouts worked wonders. But how did they make him feel? Here’s what he told Flex …
“As I head to the shower, I feel exhausted but exhilarated, like a boxer who has gone 15 rounds with the heavyweight champion and beaten him with a knockout in the ultimate round!”
Arnold’s Key Suggestions for a Big Chest
- Use pyramid sets for growth, increasing the reps and decreasing the load on every set,
- Pair chest and back with supersets for an unbelievable upper body pump.
- Use a full range of motion on every exercise that gives a whole chest stretch at the top of the movement and a full contraction at the highest of the movement.
- Go heavy but not below six reps; super low reps will construct power but not muscle.
- Include dips in your chest workout; they flush your entire chest, especially the lower portion.
- Use relatively heavy weights for flyes, ensuring you possibly can maintain proper form.
- Include forced reps to take your sets to the limit.
- Utilize peak contraction, where you squeeze the pecs at the highest of every rep.
- Finish your workout with just a few minutes of iso-tension, where you hold poses for 20-30 seconds.
